F
faiqa c
Guest
I want to use the fishless version can you tell me the ingredients where to get them and how to use them.
W
what can I do
Guest
Well...I dont actually use those ammonia and bacteria things other people use to cycle with. I would just go to a pet store and ask them if you can have some of their gravel, because the gravel of which fish were in with has bacteria which, I think, is better then the bacteria you buy in a little thing.
G
Growlithe W
Guest
You will need pure ammonia. You can find it in the cleaning isle in a grocery store. Make sure its 100 % pure ammonia that doesnt contain any perfumes. The bottle should say clear ammonia or something like that. You also need to buy nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, and ph kits to monitor the levels of each. Read this site because it tells you how to do a fishless cycle.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/fishless_cycling.php
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/fishless_cycling.php
S
Stephanie
Guest
I just cycled my 30 gallon freshwater tank in two weeks! You're tank needs to go through a cycle to build up beneficial bacteria that will eat up the ammonia your fish produce through waste. With out beneficial bacteria, you will have an ammonia spike and it will kill all of your fish because ammonia is poisonous.
People start off adding ammonia in their tank to start this process. You can use PURE ammonia, without dyes, surfactants, perfumes, or soap. You probably can find this at ace hardware stores. Since this is hard to fine, you could also use cocktail shrimp (made for human consumption) for ammonia. As the shrimp rots in your tank, it will release ammonia. I had three in my tank, in a nylon stocking.
Be sure to invest in a good testing kit (the liquid kind, the test strips dont usually give good readings.) Test every other day.
When you set up your tank, just the way you like it, with plants, gravel, filter, and a heater you can add the shrimp or ammonia. The first week your ammonia should spike, then fall. Then your nitrites should spike after that, and last for about a week. Once both ammonia and nitrites are down to zero, your tank has cycled. However, your nitrates are going to be high (which is toxic to fish too), so do a large water change, about 75%. Then you're ready to go. Cycling can take 3 weeks to a month to complete, however, it goes MUCH faster if you have a lot of live plants during the cycle!
When using shrimp, there's not measuring or having to remember to add drops. You just leave it be and let your tank cycle itself.
Good luck! Remember patience pays off!
People start off adding ammonia in their tank to start this process. You can use PURE ammonia, without dyes, surfactants, perfumes, or soap. You probably can find this at ace hardware stores. Since this is hard to fine, you could also use cocktail shrimp (made for human consumption) for ammonia. As the shrimp rots in your tank, it will release ammonia. I had three in my tank, in a nylon stocking.
Be sure to invest in a good testing kit (the liquid kind, the test strips dont usually give good readings.) Test every other day.
When you set up your tank, just the way you like it, with plants, gravel, filter, and a heater you can add the shrimp or ammonia. The first week your ammonia should spike, then fall. Then your nitrites should spike after that, and last for about a week. Once both ammonia and nitrites are down to zero, your tank has cycled. However, your nitrates are going to be high (which is toxic to fish too), so do a large water change, about 75%. Then you're ready to go. Cycling can take 3 weeks to a month to complete, however, it goes MUCH faster if you have a lot of live plants during the cycle!
When using shrimp, there's not measuring or having to remember to add drops. You just leave it be and let your tank cycle itself.
Good luck! Remember patience pays off!